Trinity
by Gypsy3
Summary: Death isn't the end. And vengeance is a dish best served cold.
1. Another Secret Revealed

****  
  
Donovan was not a happy man. Things had been going wrong left and right. The person on the inside of the organization that they had thought would turn easily was proving to be difficult. Now Jake's ambition and off the cuff style had gotten him in deep waters. This turned out to be the straw that broke the camel's back. First Alex got nabbed and wound up with a twisted knee and some bruised ribs, then the turncoat turned out not to turn to help them, now this. If he were any other man, he'd have taken up drinking by now.  
  
As he sat in the command center watching the surveillance cameras, he was steadily getting more unhappy. Why hadn't he seen this coming? Why hadn't he pulled Jake and Alex out earlier? What was taking so damned long with the Recovery team? Things had deteriorated beyond his scope of abilities. He was a talker and a thinker - The Negotiator. In instances like this, The Recovery Team stepped in. They cleaned up the situations that he couldn't resolve. He hated to use them... mainly because he hated to lose.  
  
Callahan of the Recovery Team swept in with his air of arrogant superiority. It was no secret that he didn't like the Negotiators. It took a special type of person to go in and extract hostages without getting them killed once the talkers were unable to get where they wanted. Lewis Callahan was one of those cowboys. Donovan was half-listening when something on-camera caught his eye. He left the discussion to take a better look.  
  
"What did you see Boss?" Alex asked quietly.  
  
"I'm not sure. For a moment, I thought I saw a woman's hair barrette." ANYTHING to take his attention away from that smug boor Callahan.  
  
"A barrette?" Alex was confused.  
  
"Yes, silver, odd I know, but the woman wearing it looked familiar... "  
  
"Ogling women again, Donovan? Maybe if you'd paid attention to your agent on the inside instead of making small talk with her..."  
  
Before Callahan could finish, Donovan had him up against the wall, eyes blazing.  
  
"The HER you refer to is one of my agents, and she happens to be a hell of a lot better than you are. Tread lightly Callahan or I'll figure out a way to make you're life hell."  
  
"No thanks Donovan." He smirked as he was let go and smoothed out his clothing. "I'm already married."  
  
Alex rolled her eyes, Cody yawned and Monica tried not to barf up her bagel. They'd all been on pins and needles since Jake got caught in the middle.  
  
"Callahan - if you were even HALF the Recovery Specialist that Litha was..."  
  
"If I were half the specialis Litha was, I'd still be dead. Quit chasing a ghost Donovan. She wasn't that good, and neither are you, YOU are the one who got her killed." With that, he left Donovan to stew and his team to raise their eyebrows in speculation.  
  
Donovan snarled, smacked a half-full coffee cup across the room and stalked outside to watch as the Recovery Team went in and did their job.  
  
****  
  
"Welcome back Jake. Word of warning, Donovan's been on the warpath for days." Cody half-smiled. He was sugar coating it a bit - Donovan had in fact been a complete ass the last few days.  
  
"uhm, thanks... I think." Jake's expression was puzzled. "Is he...?"  
  
"Over you?" Monica walked back from the kitchenette with a bottle of water in hand. "Yes and no. Yes, he was concerned for your safety. But that Specialist who headed up the team that got you and the other hostages out... he sort of pricked Donovan's hide. He's been an ogre ever since." She sat down and eyed the file she had.  
  
"Cody, dig anything up on this Lita yet?"  
  
"Not one damned thing. I tried hacking into his files again in the central database and keep getting shut down. I tried to hack into the Hostage Recovery files and got nowhere with a name search for Lita. There isn't even anything about an accidental death of a female agent within the last five years."  
  
"Maybe it wasn't accidental." Alex sat down with a sigh. "Guys, if Donovan finds out that you've been snooping around, he'll..."  
  
"I'll what, Alex?"  
  
Donovan had snuck up on them as they were talking. Cody tried to shut down the info search he had going for "Lita", Monica jumped and accidentally knocked her water over, and Alex closed her eyes with a groan.  
  
"You won't be too amused. Boss, I know you have your secrets and all... but it's obvious that whatever happened in the past between you, Callahan and this Lita person is grinding you. Can't you just tell us what this is and get it over with?  
  
"No."  
  
Jake sort of stood back and listened. He was clueless as to what was what and who was where, but he kept his mouth shut. He knew deep down that Donovan was probably pissed at him getting into the predicament that he did. Truth be told, he really didn't have any control over it at all. Things just sort of mushroomed out of control.  
  
"There is a reason those files are not for your eyes, Cody. Monica, quit trying to profile me and my past. Alex, try and keep everyone else in line about that. If I want you to know something, I'll tell you. In the mean time, we have a new assignment. Alex, I know you're still recovering from your injuries, but Jake is too fresh off of this past assignment. Cody and Monica, quit chasing your tails with the Ghost of Christmas past."  
  
After he left, everyone let out the breath they'd been holding. Then Monica piped up and said, "Hey, Cody... I've been thinking. This Lita... Callahan had to be involved too. I doubt his files are as red-flagged and restricted. Try searching Callahan for references to a Lita." 


	2. Dream No More...

The landscape was in shades of grey and white. He knew instantly this was another dream... his were always in shades of grey. Especially when they were about her. It was his fault, wasn't it? Was Callahan right in that fact? Did he cause Litha's death? He turned over in the sheets, the air cold enough to make his skin goosebump... or was that the cold sweat that trickled down his forehead?  
  
She loved roses... red roses. Her birthday was the end of December. They had been flirting around the issue for months by then. He was planning on taking her out to dinner and treat her to all of the things she loved the most for her birthday. Why is it that when it is something of the utmost importance, that plans never go the right way?  
  
He saw the park again. It was sugar crusted in sparkling white snow that night. The full moon overhead reflecting off the snow made the world look like it was coated with diamonds. The air was crisp and cold, their breath hung like miniature clouds as they walked. They had known each other for months, worked together. He was The Negotiator, she was The Recovery Specialist. They had tried to keep it just business, but something more bloomed and they found themselves falling for each other. So for her birthday, he'd shown up at her door with two dozen long-stemmed red roses, reservations at her favorite Italian restaurant, a horse-drawn carriage ride through the park and later, if things worked out, he'd take her out to breakfast and ask her just how serious she wanted to get in their relationship. He never counted on work stepping in.  
  
They had just come from the restaurant and headed into the park. Even after Christmas, the carolers were still out and singing. She loved the music and wanted to dance. She looked like an angel when she danced. She had worn a pair of white slacks, a white sweater and had her usual pristine white cashmere ankle length coat on. They had been waltzing to "I'll be home for Christmas" when both of their pagers went off on a '911' alert. With a resigned sigh, they both headed back to the office.   
  
Callahan had been summoned too, and was there already when they both walked in. He'd been hitting on her hard for months now, on border of harrassment. But she was too sweet natured to put up a fuss about that, so she let it slide. Callahan of course, took that as encouragement. So when they walked in, Litha with a beaming smile on her face and Donovan with a satisfied smile, Callahan put two and two together. The Boss briefed them on what was going on and then let them go to work. Callahan had been on Litha's team, her second in command and in training to learn to be the best - eventually take command of a Recovery team of his own if he took Litha's lead. But he wanted Litha as part of the prize. Hell, most of the men in the office wanted Litha as a prize. Who could blame them? At 5'8" with emerald green eyes that sparkled like the precious jewels themselves and long black hair, she was a raging beauty. Not to mention she did in fact have a great personality. She never met a person she didn't try to be friendly and warm to, hated the fact that she was the one to have to go in with guns blazing and kick ass. That was the paradox about her - She hated her job, but was the best in the agency at it. That was something that Donovan never figured out.  
  
A man had taken hostages, 15 or so, and had wired himself with explosives. Even as Donovan tried to talk him down, Litha and Callahan were collaborating on how to extricate the hostages in the event Donovan couldn't do his job. When it came down to the wire, the man let 5 of them go, mostly children. One of the older children told them that he had the building rigged for explosives, and it looked like a lot of them too. It was then that Donovan realized, as did they all, that there was no negotiating to be done anymore. Litha and Callahan put their plan into action. She went in alone, through the roof. If she could, she would be able to sneak up behind him and either call his bluff and force him to surrender... or as a last resort, shoot to kill and prevent the detonation of those explosives. It was a perfect plan.  
  
He turned over in bed, the sheets twisted and soaked with his sweat... or was it his tears? He didn't know when he had begun to cry, but when he had the dream, he always woke up with gritty and burning eyes, like he'd been crying for hours... He sucked in a harsh breath as the dream continued.   
  
Litha made it in easy enough. She had a subvocal transmitter around her throat and an earpiece so she could remain in constant contact with the base command. Frank monitored her progress, Callahan paced like a caged cat behind him. Finally when he could take it no longer, Donovan ordered him out of the ops room. Callahan was livid and stomped out. Litha, however, was oblivious to the wrangling going on. She had her pistol in hand and was creeping along the corridor heading down to where the hostages were. Every now and then, Donovan would whisper into her ear how much further she had to go. When she finally found them, the man was no where to be seen. So, one by one she told them how to get out and sent them down the hallway to the backdoor. After about 30 minutes, it was just her and another woman left when the man returned. He saw Litha, gun raised and flak vest in place... he saw his hostages gone save for one... he panicked...  
  
You know how when you're falling, you never hit the bottom? It's not like that in his dream... he always hits the bottom in this dream...   
  
Litha wasn't too bad of a negotiator herself. She'd had to have some training in that field in order to be a Recovery Specialist... but her natural skills leaned more towards action than talking. That is why she and Donovan worked so well together - he had the gift of speech where she had the gift of action. When the man returned to find only Litha and one remaining hostage, he started ranting and raving about. As he did, Litha could have sworn she saw him activate a few of the detonation sequences. So she spoke up, tried to talk him down. 'You still have me and one hostage... I'm a federal agent, that's worth at least three of your other hostages... don't be hasty, we can work this out.' Donovan was listening, beaming in pride on the inside that a bit of his skills had rubbed off on her. Callahan, however, had seen all but one hostage come out and still no Litha. Minutes ticked off on their watches and still no Litha or remaining hostage. Callahan was getting nervous. All sorts of scenarios ran through his mind. Litha'd been shot, being held as a hostage, hampered by a hostage, etc. etc... On the surveillance camera, Donovan saw Callahan's pacing and knew immediately why, but he had an advantage - he could hear Litha talking.  
  
But Callahan had no idea. And after 30 minutes without Litha's appearance, he grabbed up his own vest and weapon and headed in. Followed closely by a swearing Donovan. Someday that man was going to get someone killed - and if they were all lucky, he'd only get himself killed. Donovan and Callahan both crept slowly down the corridor into the main room where Litha and the one hostage was. She'd gotten the man calmed down so he wasn't pacing madly about. But the hostage was terrified and shaking between sobs. Litha was stone cold calm and focused on him. But he caught the movement of Donovan and Callahan behind Litha. In an instant, he had his arm around Litha's neck and a gun pointed at her head. That's when things turned inside out.  
  
Donovan turned over in his bed again, tossing feverishly. He hated this part more than anything...  
  
Callahan came out first, shouting at him to let her go. Donovan, however, grabbed the sobbing woman and shoved her down the hallway, telling her to run. Then he turned his attention to Litha and her issue. Litha's eyes were wide, and surprisingly almost tired it seemed. After all, it was nearly 4 in the morning and she'd had no rest at all. But there was something else. She was calm and collected, but he knew that there was something else there. If only he could get Callahan to stop screaming at the man to let Litha go. There would be no terms of surrender, he said, they'd all go down with him. Donovan circled around, putting Litha between him and Callahan. He had to wait. Eventually Callahan would make a distraction and allow him to squeeze off one shot to kill. He had to hope that Litha didn't twist to get away at the same time. When Callahan said that he'd shoot to kill to prevent him ever detonating the explosives, the man turned. 'gotcha!' Donovan thought and gently squeezed his trigger, Callahan squeezing his at the same time. But something made the man turn again and Litha's eyes went wide in shock. It was then Donovan realized what was wrong with her. She didn't have her vest on. She'd taken it off as part of the bargain. The man had been shot by Callahan. As he fell, Litha fell with him, the blooms of red indistinguishable from each other. Donovan and Callahan both rushed to Litha's side. Donovan being the senior, pushed Callahan down the hallway to get backup and an ambulance. Callahan had never forgiven him for that. She'd been shot in 'friendly fire' just under one arm towards the back of her ribcage. If she'd had her vest on, it would have bruised and she'd just be sore for a few days. But in order to get the man to calm down and stop threatening to blow them up, she gave up her vest as a bargaining chip. Crazy woman. Look what it got the man, a bullet between the eyes and the label of a cop killer if she died.  
  
She laid on the ground, Donovan pressing the now dead man's shirt to the wound in an effort to stop it. But the red just spread over that snow white sweater of hers and the floor. He couldn't stop the bleeding. Thank you, she'd said. For the dinner, the flowers, the dance. Be quiet he'd told her. Save your strength. No, I need to say it, she said. The necklace... take it for now... but I want it back when I come to work.  
  
By then the ambulance and paramedics had arrived and pushed Donovan aside. He stood there as they wheeled her out on the stretcher, her necklace in hand, the silver chain dangling between his bloody fingers.  
  
His eyes popped open. It was 4:50 a.m. The time that the paramedics finally told them it was over. Or was it the paramedics who told them that? He remembered Callahan sucker punching him, screaming that it was his fault. Donovan didn't fight back at all. He did feel responsible. He sat up in bed, the sheets shredded and soaked. He reached over onto the beside table and picked up the silver chain. It laid there every day since, right in front of a picture of her. Her mother had given her that necklace when she graduated from the academy. It was a simple silver chain with a three-sided knotworked charm on it. She told him once what it was - The Trinity. Past, present, and future... birth, life, and death. Her mother was from Scotland and believed in different ways. She had even named her daughter after a Goddess, the nickname of a celebration in the cycle of the witches' year. And she had in turn, given it to him for safe keeping. Over the years he'd made up stories about that necklace and why she gave it to him. That she'd had her past, she was living the present, and wanted a future with him. The realist in him said that she was only giving it to him as a symbol of death. She'd been born, had lived her life, and now was dying. Either way, she was gone. They were told at the hospital by the Chief Director of the FBI that she didn't make it.  
  
He sighed and got out of bed, heading in to take a cold shower, the necklace around his neck for the first time in three years. If only he'd paid attention to his memories a bit more... 


	3. A New Target

He looked out the window of the taxi as it drove down the narrow lane through the cemetery. He could see the splash of red from the vehicle. Litha loved red roses with an undying passion. And since the funeral the sight or scent of them made him physically ill. It looked like some great giant had cut his finger and bled all over the inside of the cathedral. And the spray of flowers over her casket... He got out of the cab and walked up the hill to the tombstone. She would have been 31 right now if he hadn't screwed up things.  
  
"It's peaceful here, isn't it?"  
  
Donovan turned to face his mentor from the FBI. He'd also sponsored Litha into the Hostage Recovery teams.  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
"Paying respects an early grave, of course. I could ask you the same thing, but I know why you are here." He chuckled softly and looked down at the black marble headstone coated with the sprays of red roses. "Lillith Morgana Sinclair. Born December 31, 1970. Died January 1, 1999."  
  
"You don't have to read it out loud."  
  
"You know, her mother never blamed you. I still keep in contact with her, good woman, never could grasp the concept of her beliefs and all. But she never blamed you at all for Lillith's death."  
  
"That's comforting. I still blame myself."  
  
"Frank, don't." He handed Donovan two thick brown envelopes. One was so thick that it had to be rubber-banded to keep it closed. The label read "Callahan, Lewis - IAD". The other read "Sinclair, Lillith - IAD".  
  
Donovan looked at it a moment, then at his mentor. "She... was IAD?"  
  
"No. She was working on one specific case for the internal affairs department when she died. It's been speculated that she died as a result of her investigation. She was a witness and in the case."  
  
Donovan's eyes widened sharply. "She was investigating me?!"  
  
"No Frank. Who else was with her that day? Who else seemed to be everywhere she was?"  
  
It clicked suddenly. Callahan. He looked up, the lightbulb shining brightly as he put the pieces together. "But, if she was investigating and going to testify against Callahan, then how did he manage to get away with it?"  
  
"Forensic evidence is a wonderous thing. It's come light years from where it was even three years ago. Still, basic examination can point out a murderer. The doctor pulled a .38 slug out of her. Sadly, he didn't know that you use a 9mm - Which the coroner pulled out of your Walking Bomb."  
  
"I didn't shoot Litha?"  
  
"No, Frank. You didn't. Callahan did. During the investigation, your weapons were confiscated and a ballistics match ran. His gun matched the bullet perfectly."  
  
"So, he's a murderer. Why wasn't he arrested?" Donovan's eyes were blazing again in anger.  
  
"It was safer for them to let him go. The witness was gone. Even with all the evidence and sworn testimony given by Lillith, it still was circumstantial at best. The investigators and the IAD people were going on orders from someone else. Do yourself a favor, read the file." With that, he turned and left Donovan to the cold January air.  
  
The light breeze fluttered the scarf wrapped around his neck. Did he really want to read the file? The triskele around his neck that had belonged to Litha seemed to burn against his chest as he inhaled sharply of the almost painfully cold Washington DC air.  
  
****  
  
He'd arrived back in Chicago hours ago and immediately returned to the ops center. Alex was still deep in her assignment and Monica and Cody were keeping tabs on her. He'd only been gone 24 hours, so nothing major had happened while he was gone. Jake had been pestering the two of them incessantly - a mild case of cabin fever was Monica's diagnosis.  
  
"Jake, come with me. I want to pick your brain a bit on something that's just come to light."  
  
"hey Boss. Alex checked in last night and gave us a new name to run."  
  
Donovan stopped and turned back. "And you're point? You know the drill. Run the name and get a profile for me and Alex. I'll be in my office with Jake for a while."  
  
Cody whistled low and Monica stared for a moment.  
  
"That's so not like him." Cody said.  
  
"Yeah, usually he's on each target like cats on fish. Let's see this person Alex ran over. What was the name again?"  
  
"Seska. Seska Broussard. And she's a hottie! Look at this Monica" He scooted over to show her the few photos of the woman.  
  
Jake and Donovan, however, sat down in Donovan's office across the table from each other. Donovan dropped the inches thick file on the table and stared at it.  
  
"What is this?" was all Jake could get out as he stared at the file.  
  
Donovan flicked a look up to Jake, then back to the file. "Remember the vile mood I was in before I left yesterday?"  
  
"Sure. Everyone says it was over some chick."  
  
"Not just any chick. Until now, it was a co-worker that I believed that I had shot fatally in a hostage extraction."   
  
Jake's eyes lifted to his boss' and went wide. His boss had actually shot someone he worked with?  
  
"Don't look at me like that. It was accidental and I had been cleared after an investigation. I was given this file yesterday. Meet Lillith Sinclair, better known as Litha." At that, he pulled out Lillith's IAD file and put it on the table.  
  
"No wonder Cody and Monica weren't able to dig anything up," Jake said as he looked at the name on the file jacket. "They were looking for a Lita, L-I-T-A. They also hit a stone wall when trying to dig into this Callahan's files."  
  
Donovan half-smiled. He'd always pronounced her name 'Lita', it was almost his pet name for her instead of Litha. "They hit a stone wall because he's on the IAD watch list. Because of this." and he pushed the file for emphasis. "The story I've been given is that Lillith was a witness to something involving Callahan that merited the attention of IAD. She, in turn, was running a special investigation for them on Callahan. It's speculated that it was indeed Callahan that shot her, forensics proving that the bullet pulled out of her wasn't one of mine. I haven't read it yet, I wanted someone else to go over it with me at the same time, in case there is anything I've missed. This means a lot to me personally, Jake, as well as professionally. I've been..." Donovan stopped short of letting down the wall between boss and employee. He just couldn't get that friendly with Jake...  
  
"Gotcha boss. You want an investigator's eye on this also, right?" Jake had an idea of the hell that his boss had been feeling. It was written across the man's face like black ink on snow white paper.  
  
"Please." with that, he slid the rubber band off the file and opened it up. There was a note on the inside. He picked it up and fingered it gently. If his eyes weren't playing games, he'd have sworn it was Litha's handwriting that said 'Cara - I'm sorry... I wish I could have told you sooner.'  
  
He touched it again, fighting back tears at Litha's last words to him... then set it aside to delve into the file with Jake's assistance.  
  
****  
  
The hottie, Seska Broussard, in the meanwhile, sat across the table from Alex at the restaurant. She was a cool customer, watching Montcalvez and his associates through cold blue eyes. Blue eyes made so with contacts.   
  
'Cripes. if only there were less smoke in here' she mentally muttered. The atmosphere of the non-existent overhead lighting and tables lit by candles was drying out her contacts. She wanted nothing more than to get home and take them out so she could relax a bit. She was getting too old for this crap and she wanted out so damned bad. But she had a debt to repay and she'd pay it in spades when the opportunity presented itself. All she had to do was be patient and he'd present himself to her on a silver platter. 'Then,' she thought, smiling to herself, 'he is all mine for the take down. GOD I want his head on my trophy wall... his nuts for paperweights wouldn't be bad either.'  
  
Alex saw the faintest of smiles creeping across the woman's face opposite her. She looked uncomfortable and like she'd rather be elsewhere. Frankly, so did Alex. Listening to Montcalvez croak on and on about his achievments in the drug trade was boring. But, right now she was observing. She looked at her watch as she reached for the glass of water. She also wondered just how much information Cody and Monica had come up with on this Broussard woman. From what she could gather from listening, Montcalvez was courting Broussard's business in lieu of her employer. Broussard had never revealed her employer, giving the excuse he wished to remain anonymous and had given her total discretion. Fine by Alex. Two arrests with one investigation was great. If only she were having dinner with Carlos instead of these people. Broussard caught her eye for some reason. And Alex took a deeper look at the woman. Was she imagining things, or did she see a touch of green in her eyes?  
  
Seska, was eying Alex cautiously. Something had gotten her attention and held it. What she couldn't tell, but it was rather discomfiting. So when her phone chirruped softly in her purse, she took advantage and excused herself.  
  
Once out of sight and hearing, she flipped open the phone and listened.  
  
"Yes. We're running out of time.... I'm well aware of that.... Surely there is enough - alright. I'll see if I can steer the subject." She stopped, one hand bracing against the wall as the speaked on the other end said something. Her hands shaking slightly, she slid the phone down and closed it.   
  
By the time she returned to the table and Alex's scrutiny, she'd regained the cold exterior. But her eyes were a touch more pink for some reason...  
  
**** 


	4. The Past Reborn

By the time he and Jake had gone through every piece of paper and sorted it out, it was 1 am and they'd gone through at least a dozen bottles of water, two take out orders of lunch and dinner and were on the verge of seeing spots.  
  
"Jesus boss. With this evidence, they could have put Callahan away for life. He's got ties to organized crime, several known drug dealers and now the forensic evidence to put him away for murder of a federal agent. And he's still in charge of his own Recovery team WHY?"  
  
"Your guess is as good as mine Jake. Something was said about the IAD team and the investigators were going on orders from someone else regarding Callahan. But I don't see anything in here about it."  
  
Jake sat back in the chair and looked at Donovan. They both were missing something crucial, they knew it just as they could see the papers in front of them - that key to tell why Callahan hadn't been arrested yet.  
  
Finally Jake spoke up, musing aloud as he compressed 3 inches of evidence into utter simplicity. "Callahan's got a link to a drug-dealer. Your Litha happens to accidentally witness or overhear a conversation with the drug-dealer. She confronted him with it and now he knows that she is on to his game. But for some reason, he's not busted. She doesn't do anything about it. This is where she's gone to IAD and turned witness/investigator on him. She then manages to dig up all sorts of mud and filth on him, including several bribes he's made and taken. But still he's not arrested. He's getting antsy by now, I know I would be by then. But something happens, an opportunity presents itself and he takes it upon himself to rid his world of the one witness against him... in a hostage recovery gone wrong, Litha Sinclair is shot fatally. At first presumed by you, her co-worker and .. sweetheart." Jake looked back at Donovan to see if they were on the same line of thinking.  
  
Donovan had flinched a bit during Jake's musings. Then he'd nodded in agreement. "But Callahan knew better, he knew he'd shot Litha and let me take the guilt for it. But there is something not in these files. He was after Litha romantically. He didn't marry his wife until months after Litha was buried."  
  
They kept this up even as Alex came tiptoeing in. She just came from a late night with the assignment and wanted to check in. She saw the light on in Donovan's office and two people pacing back and forth. In addition, there were two voices, Jake and Donovan. Curious, she climbed the steps and stood in the doorway.  
  
"Late night male bonding?"  
  
Jake looked up in mid-pace with a sour look. "Bite me."  
  
"No Alex. Jake is helping me with something. How'd it go tonight?"  
  
Alex proceeded to give him and Jake a thorough briefing of their subject's activities that night, including the people that they'd had business with. "What's all this?" she said, not so smoothly changing the subject.  
  
Donovan gave her a look and shook his head. "Something you don't need to worry about at the moment."  
  
Of course, Jake piped up with a grin. "Remember Cody and Monica's investigation?"  
  
"Jake." came the growl...  
  
"They were looking at the wrong name." he was grinning from ear to ear like a schoolboy with a secret to share.  
  
"JAKE."  
  
"And Donovan here has asked for some outside views."  
  
"JAKE!"  
  
Alex looked at Donovan, who's face was scowling right now at the younger man across the table from him. She then chuckled and picked up the note written in Lillith's hand. "Cara? A girlfriend, hm? Interesting. And when do you have time for one? You work 26 hours a day 9 days a week." she joked.  
  
"She's dead, has been for years now." He crisply plucked the note from her fingers.  
  
"If she's dead and for that long, then who wrote the note?"  
  
"She did, Alex. It's her handwriting. I saw it every day for months before she died. I think I know her handwriting well enough."  
  
"I'm not disputing that. But look at the design. The copyright date is 2001. If that is indeed her handwriting, then either someone's forged it, or she's writing notes from the grave." She shrugged and picked up the file on Litha while Jake worried over whether or not to catch a near fainting Donovan.  
  
The idea hadn't even occured to him. She might still be alive? But how? Both the Director and the doctors said she didn't make it, there was even a coroner's report in both Callahan's file and Litha's file. Dumbly he held the note up and looked at the design. It did say 2001 in the design.  
  
He turned and looked out the window, pulling the necklace from under his shirt.  
  
"Boss." it was Alex's voice.  
  
Donovan didn't hear her at all. He was too deep in his own thoughts of different reasons why she could possibly still be alive.  
  
"Boss!"  
  
He still didn't hear her. Her voice registered in the back of his mind, but he consciousness still raged at what she looked like now, if she were still the beauty she was years ago. Of course she would still be...  
  
"FRANK DONOVAN!" Alex was standing, hands braced on the table and yelling at him. One more moment and she'd be grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him senseless.  
  
"WHAT?!" He thundered back. He really didn't want to talk anymore.  
  
"I saw her tonight."  
  
Donovan opened his mouth to say something but no sound came out.  
  
"And several times before. She's one of the buyers that's been meeting with our target." To push her point, she turned around the file as it laid open where she dropped it and pushed it at Donovan. "Her hair is longer and a bit different style, still coal black though. The only problem is she's got blue eyes. But I'd swear on my badge that she's wearing contacts to cover green eyes. Goes by the name Seska."  
  
Jake blinked. Monica and Cody said that Alex had given the name Seska Broussard to check up on... then scrambled downstairs to pick up some of the surveillance photos off of the computer. He knew he'd seen that picture of her somewhere before.  
  
Meanwhile, Donovan's normally olive skin paled to a sick ash color. Alex's expression brooked no argument and he knew she wouldn't lie about it. Numbly he sat down, one hand pulling the file closer so he could look at her picture again. When Jake pushed a black and white photograph of Seska Broussard in front of Donovan, he looked at them side by side.  
  
"What..." he croaked quietly. Despite all the water and coffee he'd drank, his mouth and throat had gone suddenly dry. "what is the name of our target again?"  
  
Alex looked at him like he'd gone mad "Reymundo Montcalvez."  
  
Donovan's body shuddered as he looked at the two pictures. Two pictures, one woman. She was alive, he knew it for certain now. Montcalvez was the dealer associated with Callahan. Litha was investigating Callahan and now shows up under another name as a potential buyer from Montcalvez. She herself was the missing key. Donovan put two and two together and came up with Litha undercover and preparing to sting Callahan. He just had to figure out how and help her.  
  
And then wring her neck for putting him through nine kinds of hell for the past three years.  
  
****  
  
Seska leaned back in the chair, one leg crossed over the other. Motcalvez had finally propositioned her employer to make the deal. One Bird down, One more to go. All she had to do was to get Montcalvez to bring Callahan with him to the deal. She really was getting sick of this. She hadn't bargained for finding an undercover agent in Reymundo's outfit. That was a puzzle, that woman who'd watched her a few nights ago at dinner. She was a cold-hearted bitch, and Seska rather liked her. But in order to flush out Callahan, she had to determine if this agent was good or bad.  
  
That's why she'd called a special meeting with her. It was a nightclub she owned herself and at this time of the day, it was still uninhabited - even by the staff or cleaning crew. She'd put on some CD music, the sounds of electric guitars and raspy rock singers filling the empty club as she waited.  
  
Seska didn't have too long to wait. Alex showed promptly at the appointed time. And she wasn't alone. When she'd told Donovan and Jake about the meeting, Donovan's face lit up with an idea. Who better to determine if this Seska Broussard was truly Lillith Sinclair undercover, than Donovan himself. He could pose as a business associate or perhaps a driver. IF it was Litha, then he'd be in a position to 'talk' to her, in their own terms.  
  
Alex and he arrived at the club "Safe Haven at the appointed time. He was dressed in a smartly cut black suit with black lensed sunglasses on. Donovan followed Alex into the club, the music playing making him smile. It was Litha's taste alright - that horrid rock/heavy metal music. It used to drive him up the wall to ride in a car with her. Such memories. He wasn't sure if he wanted to do this or not. But it was too late now to back out.  
  
They walked in cautiously, Alex slightly in front of him to give the appearance that he was her driver or bodyguard. The woman, Seska, had her back to them as she stood at the edge of the dance floor. It appeared as if she were looking up at the ceiling. She was in a well-cut black and emerald green suit, short skirt and high heels. Her black hair was drawn up into a sleek french twist. If this was Lillith, she looked better than he remembered.  
  
"Prompt. I like that. Welcome Ms. Channing and thank you for coming." She had yet to turn around. But Donovan knew that voice anywhere. He knew it like he knew his own skin. Litha.  
  
"And who is your companion?" Still she had not turned around. How the hell was she seeing all of this?  
  
"Donovan. Donovan Richards." Donovan spoke up. His voice carressed her ears and her body froze momentarily. But she recovered and her voice took on a smile.  
  
"Welcome to Safe Haven, Ms. Channing and Mr. Richards. This place, is aptly named. The owner built it and created an exclusive arrangement with the law authorities. The police don't use this as a sting/information gathering site, and in return, the criminals keep their business out of here. You see, trust is an issue. I do trust you, Alex and Mr. Richards. Kindly remove your weapons and leave them on the table."  
  
Alex and Donovan looked at each other, then did as asked and removed their weapons. At that sounds, she half-turned her shoulders and head, a feline smile on her lips as she very very very slowly eyed Donovan Richards up and down. Those cobalt blue eyes lingered on his lips and body parts of his jumped involuntarily. Body parts of hers responded in kind, a rosy blush coming to her cheeks as she completely turned around.  
  
"Careful, Ms. Channing. I might just have to.. 'seduce'... him away from you." Her blue eyes twinkled. She hadn't seen Donovan in years and a picture of him from three years ago was all that she had. She wondered if he still had her necklace.  
  
Alex saw the reaction they had to each other. She could literally smell the attraction. She had that once herself with Carlos. How was he doing now, she wondered. "Ms. Broussard. Why exactly did you ask me to come here this morning?"  
  
Seska smiled and sat down in the chair behind the table - said table still bearing their weapons. "Straight forward. I like that, reminds me of me. What I can't figure out, Alex Channing, is why a woman like you is working for Montcalvez."  
  
One leg slipped over the other, Donovan's dark eyes following the movement. To which he slipped discreetly behind the chair Alex had since taken. It was self preservation. It'd been so long and that skirt was so short - He didn't really remember her ever wearing that short of a skirt and the sight of her legs was perking things up a bit.  
  
Alex had been about to answer when Seska held up a hand and looked around the club again.  
  
"You should, instead, be working for me, Ms. Channing. You're honest to a fault, forthright, dependable... And cold blooded. Why you didn't turn out to be a lawyer" her intonation of the word lawyer made both Alex and Donovan shift a bit. It felt like she knew more than she was telling. "or a sniper. Perhaps an assassin. As I said, you should be working for me. Heaven knows that if Mr. Richards came with the package.. well, I'd sure as hell enjoy work more often."  
  
She couldn't keep her eyes off of him. 'bloody hell I miss him.' she thought. Seska made a mental note to spend at least three weeks with Donovan chained to her bed when this was over with. They had a lot of time to catch up on - that is, if he still wanted her. She just wasn't sure anymore who to trust in this operation. She'd been in it too long, too long undercover. What was the old saying? 'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer'? As it were now, she had more enemies than she did friends.  
  
Seska swallowed and turned her gaze back to Alex. "As I was saying. You should come to work for me, I'll make it worth your while - Ms. Cross."  
  
Donovan's jaw clenched and Alex's eyes widened.  
  
"Agent Alex Cross, former US Attorney... see, there's that cold-blooded streak again. Turned special ops agent. Tell me, how is Carlos doing? I hear he moved to South America after what was it, a prison riot?"  
  
Seska stood up with a chuckle. She slid on a pristine white cashmere ankle length coat that until now had remained unnoticed across the back of a nearby chair.  
  
"I regret having to cut this short, but I'm catching a flight. And well, with the incidents in New York a while back, security has become a bitch to get through. Remember what I said, Ms. Channing - this is Safe Haven. What's said here, stays here. But I can only protect you for so long before I'm done with my business here. I'll be speaking with you both soon."  
  
She walked past Donovan, still eyeing him like the catch of the day when he finally found his voice again.  
  
"Miss Broussard. If I may be so nosey as to ask - Where are you off to this afternoon?"  
  
She stopped, mere inches from him. This close she could feel the heat radiating from his body and he could smell the spicy scent of her sandalwood and ginger orange perfume. He looked down at the top of her head and she smiled while tilting her head up.  
  
In a low voice meant for his hearing only, she said "You may be so bold. And it truly is none of your business... but I'm off to pay my last respects to an early grave."  
  
And with that, she swept past him, sliding the sleek black lensed sunglasses on.  
  
"Alex. Meet Lillith Sinclair." was all that Donovan said in her wake.  
  
**** 


	5. Double Crossings and Death

****  
  
  
It was 11pm that same night after their meeting and the night was eerily silent. She didn't want to be doing this now, but time was running raggedly short.  
  
Something had gone wrong while she was in D.C., and now she was scrambling to catch up. It would have to end within 24 hours. From what sources she could dig up, Callahan was meeting with Montcalvez the next morning. This meant she had to pull a fast one on Montcalvez... and it meant giving Alex's cover up. Good thing in her favor was, since she had such pull as the buyer, Montcalvez had given her the justice of dealing with an undercover agent.  
  
"Senor Montcalvez, I am afraid I have some disturbing news." Seska sat down across the desk from the imposing cocaine czar. "It seems that the Feds have invaded your operation. I have it on good information that the FBI Agent you are cozy with? Lewis Callahan? He's got an associate undercover within your ranks."  
  
She watched his face, her own in a poker mask. Reymundo Montcalvez's eyes flickered.  
  
"Senora Broussard... Callahan would not dare to..."  
  
"Ahhh but Senor, think on it. First you bring Callahan in - an undoubtedly wise move. That gave you a foot into the door, a way to stay one step ahead." She leaned forward, elbows resting on the arms of her chair as she smiled a little feline smirk. "But times have changed and Callahan's gotten greedy. He wants more and more each time, doesn't he?" she could see the flicker of agreement in the man's eyes. Callahan had been pushing for a larger share of the profits lately. "Let me lay this out for you, Senor. Callahan is closely associated with the HNR - Hostage Negotiation and Recovery Units. Those units also operate undercover agents. He's in the perfect position here. All he would have to do is to tell his superiors that he stumbled across some information, make it seem credible and suggest that an undercover agent go in with him as the contact. That way, when the sting goes down, he's got a cover if everyone is arrested... and if it goes bad, the agent tries to take him with him or her, and is not believed - for who would betray Reymundo Montcalvez?"  
  
She rose out of the chair and came around the side of the desk, kneeling down and placing a slim hand on his as he looked at her.  
  
"Give me Callahan, let me deal with this undercover federal agent. I can do it and keep you safe, Reymundo... Senor. Then, we can proceed with our business. This way, nothing is traced back to you - you did not order it, you did not request it. I am merely a potential partner looking to make good with your favors. Let me handle this for you."  
  
Montcalvez had given her his consent and with a sigh, she set off. They'd firmed up the plan - Montcalvez calls Callahan and sets up the meeting, but Seska shows up in addition and then deals with the problem of Lewis Callahan. Her plan to nail the bastard was coming together... but she didn't feel that great. As she drove out, she dialed up the team she had on stand-by and gave them the time and location...  
  
When she showed up at Alex's place unexpected with two of her associates, words were futile. Together they knocked Alex unconscious and tied her up. After she was dumped in the back of Seska's cherry red Mercedes Benz convertible, Seska slid behind the wheel and sped out of town, trailed by the other car. They'd been driving for about 30 minutes and had arrived at an old abandoned farmhouse.  
  
The two men hauled Alex out of the back of Seska's car and Seska slapped Alex's face until she woke up, gun in hand. She pulled out a gun and nudged Alex in the back.  
  
"I truly wish things didn't have to turn out like this, Agent Cross.  
  
Facing down a gun in the middle of nowhere wasn't endearing. "Like hell you do, Lillith."  
  
"You shouldn't have called me Lillith. Please, try to understand..." The two men with Seska looked at her for a moment, then  
  
"Does Donovan know what a bitch you turned out to be?"  
  
"That wasn't fair, Alex. I still love him, there is a lot you don't know about... And I'm trying to protect you." pulled their own guns and took aim.  
  
"If shooting me out in the middle of nowhere is protecting me, please, don't."  
  
"I'm out of time. Turn around."  
  
Alex stared at her. "No."  
  
"DO IT!" and to push her point, she cocked the hammer back on the pistol, taking dead aim at Alex's forehead right between the eyes. So, with little choice, she turned around.  
  
"In the back, Lillith? Oh come now. You of all people wouldn't do that. After all, weren't YOU shot in the back?"  
  
While Alex was talking, Seska had silently cocked the gun.  
  
"You're going to thank me for this in the morning." Seska pulledd the slide back with a slick metallic rasp. Alex was beginning to shake. 'God, she's really going to do it! Oh, Boss, you were wrong about her!'  
  
"Lillith! Don't do this! I'm a Federal Agent, so are you! We can help you get Callahan!"  
  
"Oh, no Alex. Callahan is all mine. And you, Alex Channing, are a dead woman."  
  
The two men pulled the slides on their own weapons, cocked the hammer and then let fire in rapid succession. As they did, Seska squeezed the trigger, the gun report lost in the noise even as the shot pierced Alex at the joint of her neck and shoulder almost instantly. She watched as the woman fell to the ground.  
  
"I truly am sorry for this. But, it is for the best."  
  
With that, she walked back to the car, tossing the gun onto the seat next to her. "I just hope this doesn't come back to bite me in the ass later. Get going, I'll... "  
  
But something made Lillith stop as she reached for the keys. She looked around and raised up slightly. They wasn't alone. Quickly she dropped back down into the seat and turned the engine over. Gunning the gas, she tore out of there, kicking dirt and gravel all over the place and the other car right behind her. The only thing that made her stop was the sudden blaze of high-beam headlights in front of her. She slammed on the brakes as hard as she could as the car spun around repeatedly until the passenger side ended up facing the others.  
  
The next thing she felt was a pair of hands jerking her from behind the wheel and throwing her up against the hood of the still running car.  
  
"Seska Broussard, you're under arrest for the murder of Alex Cross." She didn't recognize the voice. But when the man hauled her up, she elbowed him in the throat and tore out of his grip. This probably was the most foolish thing she'd done to date, but dammit, go big or go home. As she whipped around, she drew both of her .45 pistols and came face to face with Donovan's pistol levelled right between her eyes.  
  
Both blinked repeatedly, trying to figure out the other.  
  
Lillith half smiled and said in a soft voice "Where have you been?"  
  
"Get back." Donovan ordered. "Get back and let me handle it."  
  
As the men moved back, she swore she could see a trace of sadness in his eyes. To make it believable, she had to be arrested. And he had to believe she'd killed Alex.  
  
"Why Mr. Richards... does this mean we can't be friends anymore?" she smiled. At the same time, she gently let the hammer down and lowered her pistols until they were resting on the hood of her car. She patted them and stood up with a smile. "There. Now we can be friends again."  
  
Donovan looked at her like she was mad  
  
"Have you changed so much that -" he was interrupted by a shout from where she'd peeled out. They'd found Alex's body. Jake took off running. She looked back to him and mouthed the words 'nothing is as it seems'. She then backed up a bit. Donovan followed her and slipped the handcuffs on her while one remaining gunman kept watch on her. To keep up appearances, she smiled and played it cocky.  
  
"Mmmm, Mr. Richards, you know, those handcuffs could be put to much better use if - " she hissed out the rest between her teeth as Donovan gave her a sharp jerk.  
  
"Watch it boyo." she growled out, "I rather like pain... and I might take it personal."  
  
"I got her. Go help the others" was all that Donovan had to say to that.  
  
At that moment, Donovan's earpiece began whispering in his ear. He looked down a moment, listening, then he looked up at Lillith. It was only him and Lillith right now, the other man and Jake had gone to see about Alex.   
  
He looked at her again, then something caught his eye. He turned his head, looking right at the gun on the seat of her car. He didn't know Litha to use any other weapon but her own two pistols. So why did she use another gun to kill Alex?  
  
He had to get her alone. That being the new direction, he hauled her to the waiting SUV and loaded her into the back seat as the others carried Alex into the other vehicle.  
  
**** 


	6. Revelations and Promises

****  
  
She sat in the interrogation room, wrists cuffed in front of her. The one way mirror was on the wall behind her and she paid it no mind. She knew the drill. So she stayed in her chair, foot lightly bobbing absently as her leg was crossed over the other. And she waited.  
  
Donovan watched her through the window. He'd looked at the guns confiscated from her car - two .45mm pistols and one tranquilizer dartgun. It'd taken him a few minutes to piece it together - she didn't shoot Alex dead, neither had the two men with her. The bullets were blanks and the shot that dropped Alex was a tranqdart that Litha had fired. Problem was, the team with him didn't know that. Jake was fit to be tied and wanted to shove that smug smirk down her throat and Alex wanted to put the woman through the wall... after she was able to walk steadily.  
  
It was 3 in the morning and he knew that time was running out for Litha's plan. He just had to figure out what her plan was.  
  
The interrogator in the room with Litha groaned and stood up, throwing a defeated look towards the mirror as he left.  
  
"Dammit she's a pain in the neck to crack."  
  
"She's good. Let me have a shot at her." and he went into the room.  
  
Litha didn't look up as Donovan came around to stand in front of her.  
  
"Why, Mr. Richards... or is that your real name? Hmmmmmm let me think, let me think... No, I don't think it is. Mr. Donovan. Agent Frank Donovan." the smugness just oozed out of her voice.  
  
"What's going on Seska. Help me out here. The entire police force thinks you are a copkiller."  
  
"Oh, I'm no killer."  
  
"No? Then why did you murder Alex?"  
  
"It was for the best really. There are things here that you don't understand, Agent Donovan."  
  
"Help me understand them."  
  
"to understand them, you'd have to get inside my mind. And it's not a safe place for you to be." Which was true. She was bound by handcuffs... and even in this sticky situation, she was plotting all sorts of perverted and kinky things to do to him and with him when this was over.  
  
"Why? Do you think I'd be frightened of what's inside your mind?"  
  
"I wouldn't blame you if you were, sometimes I frighten myself." She looked up with a grin. 'Lets see if he can follow the lines.' she thought. If he could grasp her double speech, he'd be 10 steps ahead of everyone else.  
  
"I don't frighten easily. What are you up to Seska?"  
  
"Revenge."  
  
"Against Montcalvez?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Then who?"  
  
She smiled... "I've been after him for three years or more, and if you let me go, I promise not to kill anyone else but him."  
  
"Your promises have little weight now, Seska. You're already a killer." He knew now that she was after Callahan... she'd said so plainly. Until now it'd been speculation. That meant Callahan was showing himself in the next few days.  
  
"Am I?"  
  
"Yes, Alex, remember? We have the weapon."  
  
"Ahhh Agent Donovan. I'm disappointed. You and I both know that I didn't kill Alex. Forensic evidences are wondrous things." And truthfully, she hadn't. The two men with Litha were undercover agents that answered to Litha. And she'd told them flat out to use blanks in their guns. The shot she'd fired was from a tranquilizer gun with just enough sedative to knock Alex unconscious for a few hours.  
  
"30 shots we heard and you were seen leaving the scene of the crime. I think you did kill Alex."  
  
The smug smile broadened into a grin "Better me than Montcalvez or his dog."  
  
Donovan looked at her. She'd called Callahan Montcalvez's dog. And she'd told both him and Alex that she could only protect Alex for so long... "So, you emptied 30 bullets into her?"  
  
"oh come on Agent Donovan, you are an intelligent man. You have my guns. Both clips are full. And if you match my caliber to the shell casings on the ground, you'll find they don't match at all. I use .45s and I do believe the people who shot Alex were using .38s" she'd just shot their evidence out of the water.  
  
And he knew it. Inside he was laughing his head off. Outside he scowled.  
  
"So, since the guns don't match, and we can't play anymore, how about you take these things off. They're chafing my wrists and I really do have business to attend to." she held up her wrists and stood.  
  
Donovan came around the table, key in hand. When he got close enough to hear her whisper, she said "10 am on the waterfront. Subvocal transmitter and earpiece. Just like old times."  
  
He slipped the cuffs off and she backed up with a smile. Then, picking up her coat and putting it on, she began to sing, "I paid my last respects this morning on an early grave, I'm ready to say goodbye, there's nothing left to say..." all the way down the hall and out of the police station.  
  
Donovan could only smile. That's Litha for you. And he had to hurry if he was going to be ready with the rest of his team when Litha snapped Callahan in the privates.  
  
**** 


	7. Vanishing Act

****  
  
Callahan sat behind the wheel of his car. Something wasn't right this morning. It was in the air. Montcalvez had yet to show himself. So, he waited. He hated waiting, always had. Even more so since he'd killed Litha. He didn't want to do it, but the little snot wouldn't leave him alone. Shame he had to put it off on Donovan though. Not that he felt sorry for it one little bit.  
  
It had been too easy to do. He knew Donovan was itching to get Litha out of there and he just pushed and pushed and pushed. It wasn't his fault Donovan was a horrible shot. As he sat there in the car, he replayed that morning over again. The man grabbing Litha, seeing her vest on the floor behind them, putting Litha between him and Donovan, getting the man to turn just right. It was all a blur, but he saw the red spray as his bullet slammed into her ribcage even as Donovan's bullet jerked the man's head back. He saw both of them fall to the ground, then Donovan pushing him out of the room to get the ambulance.  
  
Callahan shook his head to clear the memory. No sense in dwelling on the past. He held up a card that he'd received in the mail the day after the funeral. It was tattered and creased in places, for he'd kept it with him. It was in Litha's handwriting. He read it aloud, his voice soft as he did in the silence of the car.  
  
"Thy soul shall find itself alone,  
'mid dark thoughts of the grey tombstone -  
not one, of all the crowd, to pry  
into thine hour of secrecy.  
  
Be silent in that solitude  
which is not loneliness, for then  
the spirits of the dead who stood  
in life before thee are again  
in death around thee, and their will  
shall overshadow thee: be still."  
  
He didn't know what it was from, he had the vague feeling he knew it, like he'd heard it before. Callahan shook his head again and put the card away. This was no time to be dwelling on a ghost. Litha couldn't touch him now, and he had business to do with Seno Reymundo Montcalvez - primarily finding out why he'd been summoned earlier than he'd planned originally.  
  
That was a shock, to receive a call from Montcalvez and then be told that the meeting would have to be scheduled for earlier as something had come up. In all his dealings with the czar, he'd never changed a meeting unless something was of dire importance.  
  
"About damned time." Callahan looked at his watch 9:55 am. Right on time. The limo pulled up and Montcalvez and his bodyguards got out. Callahan stepped out of his vehicle and walked towards them.  
  
"What's going on Montcalvez?" He said.  
  
"You have betrayed me, Callahan. That I cannot allow!"  
  
"Betrayed you? Who told you that?"  
  
"Someone I trust more than you. You got too greedy Callahan, your agent is dealt with and now you will be as well."  
  
Litha and her team watched from behind one of the crates on the waterfront. They'd been able to hear everything clearly as surveillance had been set up the night before while she was out covering Alex in the middle of nowhere. Show Time. She stood up and walked out.   
  
Litha was dressed in a pair of black slacks, a black turtlenecked sweater that concealed the sub-vocal transmitter that was wrapped around her throat, topped off with a long black frock coat that came to mid-thigh. Over that, to ward off the chill of the January Chicago waterfront air, she had her white cashmere ankle-length coat. Under her suit jacket she had her shoulder holster and weapons. The blue contacts had been left at home, her eyes concealed with dark sunglasses. Her hair was left loose, mainly to cover the invisible earpiece in her right ear.  
  
Her high heeled boots clicked evenly on the concrete of the waterfront. Callahan looked at her and stepped back. She looked too much like Litha in that outfit. But Litha was dead... A voice in his mind whispered 'the spirits of the dead who stood in life before thee are again...' He shook his head to clear it.  
  
"You're mad Montcalvez! You'd trust this woman over me? I've been with you for years?"  
  
"Ah, Si, you have been. But lately, you've drifted away. Senora Broussard has shown me what a traitor you are to me Callahan. She even dealt with your inside agent, Miss Channing."  
  
Callahan blinked. Litha blinked behind her sunglasses. She didn't expect Montcalvez to name off the 'agent'.  
  
Donovan was listening in. He'd gotten Cody to tap into the surveillance and give them equal ground. Alex was in the ops base just a few yards away with Cody and was listening in. Jake was close by in case they needed to go in. But, as before, he waited until Litha gave the signal.  
  
"Channing? Who is this agent named Channing? I don't have..." Callahan looked at Ms. Broussard. Again, the tiny voice whispered 'Not one, of all the crowd, to pry into thine hour of secrecy.'  
  
"you've been lied to Montcalvez! By her!" He pointed at Broussard and reached for his gun.  
  
Montcalvez's bodygaurds responded by pulling their own weapons and releasing the safeties. Callahan looked near hysterical. The voice again whispered in his mind, 'in death around thee, and their will shall overshadow thee: be still.' Why couldn't he remember where he'd heard that damned poem?  
  
Montcalvez just shook his head. "No, Senor Callahan. I am through with you. I leave you to Senora Broussard's care. Goodbye." And he turned to leave. She watched him go, knowing her team would pick him and his people up far enough out of sight. Then she turned back to Callahan with a slow smile of the cat that ate the canary.  
  
"Why, Lewis Callahan..."  
  
Callahan froze, the voices whispering all at once in one voice as the rest of the poem crystalized in his mind: 'As a burning and a fever, which would cling to thee forever...'  
  
"You look like hell..."  
  
'now are the thoughts thou shalt not banish- now are the visions ne'er to vanish...'  
  
"You alright?" Litha was walking closer.  
  
'from thy spirit shall they pass no more - like dew-drops from the grass...'  
  
Litha stopped and took off her sunglasses to reveal sparkling emerald green eyes that were as cold as the sweat on Callahan's forehead. "You look like you've seen a ghost."  
  
'Be silent in that solitude, which is not loneliness, for then the spirits of the dead who stood in life before thee are again, in death around thee, and their will shall overshadow thee: BE STILL.' Callahan's face had gone pale and he was trembling. Litha wasn't dead, he didn't kill her after all... and he was a dead man.  
  
"Hm. I see." she said, turning her back to him and stepping a few feet away. She turned back to him. "You do realize, of course, that you are under arrest. You've been a very naughty boy, Lewis. Drugs, bribes, smuggling, witness tampering..." Litha didn't see Montcalvez return.  
  
Callahan did. He relaxed a bit, the color coming back to his face. Donovan was listening to everything going on. Alex had told him Montcalvez was backtracking. Quietly he told Litha through his own subvocal that she wasn't alone.  
  
She stopped listing the litany of crimes Callahan had committed and tilted her head ever-so-slightly to the right as she listened to Donovan's voice in her ear. She shook her head and looked down.  
  
"Where have you been?" was all she said.  
  
That was the signal. Litha's tactical team came out of their hiding places, Donovan and his team came out, the local police swept in and surrounded the place. Litha looked around as one of her team put the cuffs on Callahan and read him his rights. It was a let down to be honest. She'd planned on sweet revenge for three years, but instead she got this. She didn't even get to kick his ass from one end of the dock to the other. She was disappointed.  
  
Donovan looked at her. He could see the disappointment on her face. Hell, even he wanted to see Litha put the man in his place. But that wasn't how they did things in the HNR units. A good job meant no one got wounded or killed, and the criminal was apprehended. According to those standards, they'd all earned their paychecks cleanly and did a bonny good job.  
  
Litha looked at him. She was going to hate this part most of all. In the press of people and agents, she turned and followed as Callahan was escorted to a waiting vehicle. She didn't have time to tell him she was leaving. By the time he'd find out, she'd most likely be on her way to D.C. with her prisoner in custody.  
  
Donovan blinked. She was just there. He looked around and pushed past the police who were putting Montcalvez's men into the waiting confinement vehicles.  
  
But, she was gone...  
  
**** 


	8. Where Have You Been?

****  
It'd been three weeks since the bust on the waterfront and Litha had flown out of his life again. Despite calls to D.C., he'd been told nothing of her location or activities. He didn't sleep too well in those weeks and he was once again the cranky bear around the office. They'd been given another assignment, one that wrapped up quickly. Anything to keep them occupied... or was it just him that needed to be kept occupied?  
  
He looked around the office. Everyone else had gone out to dinner to celebrate the end of a successful assignment. The world looked like shades of grey to him right now. So, he put his coat on and headed home. It was a few days to Valentine's Day, but he wasn't in the mood to hear the love songs on the radio. He only wanted Litha back close to him so he could just see her again.  
The apartment was dark when he opened the door. Somehow he missed the trace of sandalwood and ginger orange that lingered in the air as he turned on a few lamps and walked into the kitchen. Somehow he also missed the bottle of vintage merlot that was on the countertop and the crystal goblets, one trimmed with beige lipstick. Frank Donovan was oblivious, his mind a 1000 miles away in Washington D.C. with Lillith Sinclair.  
He walked down the hallway, shucking off the shoulderholster and dropping it across the back of the sofa. He stripped off his shirt and dropped it onto the floor as he walked. The bedroom was dark, the door open. He reched over and flicked the lightswitch on, kicking off his shoes as he unfastened his watch and set it on the dresser.  
  
Behind him, the woman lay sleeping still. The lights coming on didn't disturb her one iota. She dreamed a sweet dream in the cool white sheets even as Frank Donovan remained in his own little world.  
  
But those two worlds collided when all the out of place items finally caught up with him. The scent tickled in his nose even as he grasped that he didn't have a bottle of merlot in the apartment, let alone a guest with beige lipstick - and he certainly didn't wear lipstick, even undercover. He heard the slight breathing behin him, the sheets rustling as the woman turned over.  
  
He slowly turned around, bare from the waist up with only the triskele necklace around his neck and the belt to his pants unbuckled and hanging loose. Slowly he rubbed his eyes. This had to be a dream. but it was't in shades of grey, it was in crystal clear black and white... She was in his bed, sleeping. Silently he padded over in socking feet and looked down. Litha was sound asleep, one of his shirts on. Her hair was splashed over the white pillowcase like a raven's wing on the snow.  
  
Slowly he sat down on the edge of the bed. This vision was something he'd dreamed about seeing for years, and here she was in living color. Her eyes fluttered, then opened. Crystal green eyes looked back at him, even as her pale lips curved into a sleepy but sensual smile.  
  
"Where have you been?" she whispered.  
  
****  
  
EPILOGUE  
  
He no longer dreams in shades of grey. He no longer cries for hours in his sleep, and he no longer hits the bottom.  
  
Instead, he just shifts, the slender pale arm of his love sweeping over his own arms in an embrace as he snuggles her closer, determined to not let her go ever again.   
  
And she, she smiles a serene smile as she feels his body pressed against her back, his breath ruffling her hair as he sleeps... both of them sleeping peacefully for the first time in many, many years.  
  
------------------------------------  
  
*The poem used in Chapter 7 is titled "Spirits of the Dead", by Edgar Allen Poe. 


End file.
